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Tuesday, 22 November 2016

Today the blog tour for Joana Starnes’ latest novel, ‘Mr Bennet’s
Dutiful Daughter’ stops by for me to share my review of the book with you.
There’s also a chance for you to win an ebook of the story for yourself! Let me
share the book blurb with you:

“When Colonel Fitzwilliam’s disclosures are interrupted by the bearer
of distressing news from Longbourn, Miss Elizabeth Bennet is compelled to
accept an offer she would have otherwise dismissed out of hand. An offer of
marriage from the all-too-proud Mr Darcy.

Yet how is she to live with a husband she hardly knows and does not
love? Will she continue to feel trapped in a marriage of convenience while
events conspire to divide them? Or would love grow as, day by day and hour
after hour, she learns to understand the man she married, before she loses his
trust and his heart?”

* * *

Let me begin by saying that Joana Starnes is one of my favourite Austenesque
authors. I have enjoyed every book of hers that I’ve read, so I was very keen
to read her take on a marriage of convenience. This is a premise that can be
very angsty, particularly if Darcy is unaware of Elizabeth’s negative feelings
towards him.

Here, we join the story as Elizabeth is taking a turn about
Rosings Park. Colonel Fitzwilliam is just about to spill the beans about Darcy’s
‘assistance’ to his friend and unwittingly turn Elizabeth entirely against
Darcy when Darcy himself interrupts. He has come from Rosings, where Lady
Catherine has been consulted by her clergyman as he has heard that Mr Bennet
has suffered an apoplexy. Rather than inform Mr Bennet’s daughter, Mr Collins
is thinking more of his inheritance and Darcy is rightly disgusted. Having such
a clear indication of Mr Collins’ ‘Christian nature’ and how likely he is to
show compassion to Mrs Bennet and her daughters, Mr Darcy overcomes his
scruples. He is determined to save the woman he loves from having to live on
the charity of her relatives and he offers Elizabeth to convey her back to her
family and his hand in marriage to boot. This is an offer that Elizabeth is
forced to consider:

‘She turned towards the window yet again, prey to the same wretched and
unsettling thoughts. Not for her own sake, but for her family’s, she could not
dismiss Mr Darcy’s startling offer out of hand. Refusing Mr Collins when she
did was, with hindsight, unpardonable enough. How could she compound the
self-centredness by refusing Mr Darcy too?’

Due to Mr Collins’ attitude this isn’t really a mercenary move, but a
practical one, and Elizabeth is determined to be a good wife, as far as she is
able, despite the provocation she faces from her tiresomely high handed
betrothed. I couldn’t help but feel bad for both of them. I pitied Elizabeth
for sacrificing her dreams and ideals to support her family, even though she
was unsure of how honourable her future husband would be (bearing in mind that
she hasn’t been aware of his true dealings with Wickham). Once he has her in
his power, legally he could do pretty much what he liked and she would be powerless
to stop him.

‘Serve and obey. A terrifying burden when one could not also love and
honour. How could she sacrifice herself thus – leave her old life behind and
subject her will to his?

Conversely, when everything stood in balance, from the best possible care
for her father to shelter for her sisters and mother, how could she not?

Obviously, I felt huge pity for Darcy as well. It was painful to
consider how a man of his pride would feel if he knew that the woman he adored
had agreed to marry him even though she could scarcely stand him. It was
particularly poignant as this Darcy is just so delicious. He is high-handed,
but that’s mostly because he is used to managing his own affairs. Elizabeth is at
first over-sensitive to his efforts, interpreting everything as slightingly as
possible, but soon, despite herself, she becomes aware that Mr Darcy is more
complex than she first gave him credit for.

‘Elizabeth had no glance to spare for her cousin either. Instead, her eyes
were fixed on her betrothed – the gentleman whom no one could vex with impunity.
A gentleman who had just faced her foe with all the fierce strength of an
avenging angel.’

On the other hand, Darcy hasn’t been through the ‘Hunsfordisation’ of canon;
he thinks slightingly of Elizabeth’s most beloved relations. Aside from the
current worry of her father’s illness, Elizabeth also has the spectre of the
future to fear:

‘The unconcealed contempt for her relations would be followed by
contempt for her. And, before long, resentment. He would resent her for attracting him against his will, against his
better judgement. How had she not seen the writing on the wall before accepting
him and condemning herself to a fate no better than her mother’s?’

I thought there were some excellent points explored in this story, as
Darcy has some pretty unpalatable faults in amongst his undoubtedly good
qualities. I was a little surprised at the small amount of tension and conflict
in the first two thirds of the book; considering the circumstances I would have
thought there may have been more. Most of the angst related to the reader’s
knowledge of the true circumstances rather than issues between the couple. When
the real angst hits the story, it does so with considerable force, and is
really quite painful. I was confident that there would be a happy ending but I
had no idea how it could be brought about!

Joana Starnes stories don’t usually have sex scenes, but there are some
here. They are not salacious, but instead illustrate the changing relationship
between the couple. I would also say that they are not particularly detailed,
so people who prefer to avoid such scenes may be safe reading these.

I very much enjoyed reading this story and I would certainly recommend
it. It gets a 4½ star rating from me!

About the author:

Joana Starnes lives in the south of England with her family. A medical graduate, in more recent years she has developed an unrelated but enduring fascination with Georgian Britain in general and the works of Jane Austen in particular, as well as with the remarkable and flamboyant set of people who have given the Regency Period its charm and sparkle.

Joana Starnes is the author of:

From This Day Forward ~ The Darcys of Pemberley ~ A Pride & Prejudice sequel - My review

The Falmouth Connection ~ A Pride & Prejudice Variation set where Jane Austen's beloved characters are compelled to leave their tame and reasonably peaceful lives in the south of England and travel to the far reaches of Cornwall, into a world of deceit and peril, where few - if any! - are what they seem to be... - My review

The Unthinkable Triangle ~ A Pride & Prejudice Variation that dwells on the most uncomfortable love-triangle of them all. What if Mr. Darcy's rival for Miss Bennet's hand and heart is none other than his dearest, closest friend? And how can they all find their 'happily-ever-after'? - Guest post

Joana is kindly offering to give away an ebook of ‘Mr Bennet’s Dutiful Daughter’
to a reader here! To enter, just comment on this post by the end of the day on
29 November. This giveaway is open internationally. Please leave a way for me to contact you in case you are the lucky winner.

Remember, as this is a blog tour there are other opportunities to learn
more about the book, with excerpts, guest posts, other reviews and more chances to win an the e-book. See below for details:

Great to hear you're looking forward to the confrontation and I hope it won't disappoint. A wink and a nudge about 'the scenes' - I think you'll be safe if you miss about 1 page in Chapter 7 (around 25% on Kindle). There's nothing explicit before then (and hardly anything after), the emphasis being on the fact that she's nervous and he's an eminently decent man and very much in love. Best of luck in the giveaway and I hope you'll like the story.

Hi Vesper. What Joana says is certainly true. I only mentioned the sex scenes because I know some readers will choose to avoid reading a book which has them, and these are not detailed so I think you'd probably be safe reading them. The emphasis is very much on the emotion rather than anything else. I hope you enjoy the book when you read it.

Thank you, Ceri, for this amazing and ever so detailed review, I'm so happy that you liked the book!! I was biting my nails because I knew that too much angst isn't your cup of tea and when angst hits here, it does hit pretty hard.

I'm hugely honoured to be one of your favourite Austenesque authors, it's ever so kind of you to add me to that special list! Many thanks again for the wonderful welcome!

Have read 75% of this book. He knows and she knows that he knows and unfortunately I don't know how Joana is going to give a HEA to ODC! Oh,the angst!! I'll have no nail left although my box of tissues is intact!!

Same as yours, Anji, it was a truly wonderful review!! Thanks EVER so much, lovely ladies, I'm so happy you liked the book. So kind of you to stop by, Anji, and reassure Vesper too :) Hugs and all the best!

Thanks for stopping by to read Ceri's wonderful review, Sophia Rose! I love marriage of convenience plots as well, it's so moving to imagine them treading on eggshells around each other and ever so likely to misunderstand each other's reasons and words. Hope you'll like this story too. Best of luck in the giveaway and thanks for taking part!

Great to hear that, Kirsten :) Please check out the other blog tour posts, each have their own giveaway. I hope you'll enjoy the excerpts and the upcoming exclusive vignette. Best of luck in the giveaway and thanks for taking part!

That's one of the things I enjoy about the Austenesque genre. I have read marriage of convenience ones before, but each author has a slightly different take on it, and I'm always curious to see how they differ.

About Me

I've loved reading for as long as I can remember. I usually read romance, both historical and contemporary but I'm not usually a big fan of chick-lit. My favourite author is Jane Austen, and I really enjoy reading stories inspired by her work. I also love many of the works of L M Montgomery, Georgette Heyer and Mrs Gaskell, amongst others.